Shadowy Winds
by FluffleNuff
Summary: Shikamaru and Temari are starting to develop feelings for each other on a mission to the sand village. However, there is one little problem... And his name is Naruto Uzumaki.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Brewing Troubles

He woke up from his slumber and was dragging himself off his bed, when that annoying voice rang out. "Hey, SHIKAMARU! Grandma Tsunade is looking for you!" Shikamaru sighed, picturing Naruto with that annoying grin forever plastered onto his face… _What a drag…_He thought, _I thought maybe I'd be able to relax a bit for once. _"Tell her I'm coming!" He yelled back. Sighing, he put on his flak jacket. _Must be some idiotic mission _he thought.

"It's just some idiotic mission," Tsunade said, "But you're the only ones that I can spare at this moment."

"Wait, you said 'ones', plural, who else is—''

The door burst open and a kunoichi wearing a purple shoulder-less kimono strutted in. "Lady Tsunade," she greeted. She then turned to Shikamaru with an amused expression on her face. "Hey, crybaby."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. She was STILL holding that Sasuke retrieval mission over his head? He tried to push the uncomfortable memories of the tears rolling down his face as he looked back at her. "Temari." He nodded in greeting.

"As you probably guessed, this mission has to do with the Village Hidden in the Sand. Temari has business back in her village, but we have reason to believe that she is being targeted. Shikamaru Nara! Your job is to protect her from harm." Tsunade looked him in the eye.

"Just me? I'm not sure if I'll be able to protect her from more than 3 people." Shikamaru frowned.

Tsunade hesitated. "Well, you're not gonna like this, but 'ones' wasn't referring to you and Temari. There's also—''

"HOLD THE APPLAUSE! NARUTO UZUMAKI IS HERE IN TOWN! BELIEVE IT!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. The idiotic mission just got a lot, lot worse.

Author's Note: Hello My first Fanfic, phew. Wish me luck. Sorry this is a little short, I'll try to make the next one longer. (It should be, it's got more plot) Okay yay for ShikaTema!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello again! I took a break from posting because my exams are coming T.T Sorry! And then when I looked in, I was overjoyed! Hehe^^ I love Naruto, and I am soooo happy that you guys are enjoying my story! Yay, enough of me, time to get on with the story!

(PS forgot to include this in the last chapter, although I wish I did, I do not own Naruto. )

Chapter 2: Settling Darkness

"WHAT?! You have got to be kidding me! That annoying brat is supposed to protect me?!" Temari pointed an accusing finger at Naruto.

"Now that you mention it," Naruto studied Temari, "she isn't anything special. Why SHOULD I protect her?"

Temari fumed. She was a KUNOICHI. She didn't need to be protected, at least not by the annoying blonde brat who was so full of himself. Her eyes strayed to Shikamaru. Now that's someone who could be counted on, and someone she would much rather have as a bodyguard.

"Lady Tsunade, with all due respect, I think that Shikamaru Nara is more than enough to accompany me on my mission. Besides, we only assume that I am being targeted, and have no true proof. I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, and one bodyguard would be sufficient."

Temari saw Lady Tsunade pale a little at the thought of keeping Naruto in the village. _I wonder, _she thought, _Is Lady Tsunade just trying to get rid of Naruto? _Lady Tsunade composed herself and looked Temari in the eye. "We do have proof that you will be targeted. You are known far and wide to be the older sister of the indestructible weapon of the Village Hidden in the sand—''

"Oh, so you're GAARA's teammate! I thought you looked familiar!" Naruto cut in, while Shikamaru slapped his palm to his head.

"As I was saying," Lady Tsunade continued, glaring at Naruto, " We have sources that tell us a group of rogue ninja may just be aiming for your capture, to lure out Gaara. One bodyguard won't be sufficient, we do not know exactly how many rogue ninja are after you."

Temari rolled her eyes. She knew that the Hokage was right. Still, she couldn't shake the suspicion that she was just trying to get rid of the overenthusiastic blonde ninja. "Alright then, I'll meet you boys at the front gate." Without another word, she leapt out of the Hokage's office and headed back home.

Forty minutes later, Temari waited impatiently for the other two at the front gate. She had treated herself to a luxurious shower, preparing her body for the grueling three days of nonexistent baths. She was all ready to head home, but both guys, lazy Shikamaru and tardy Naruto, were late. Temari leaned on one side of the gate, letting her imagination run wild. If only it was just her and Shikamaru on this mission, maybe they would have sat side by side in the sunset, confessing their deep attractions to each other. She stopped herself short. Why was she thinking such thoughts? She shook her head to clear it. _Temari! _She chided herself, _This is no way to be thinking! You do NOT like Shikamaru. Do you hear me? You do NOT like –_

"Hey Temari…" the lazy voice jerked her out of her thoughts. She almost jumped, but caught herself in time. She paused awhile, and forced her voice to sound disdainful.

"Right on time as usual, eh, Shikamaru?" He rolled his eyes, chuckling softly. She took in his narrow black eyes, his spiky black hair and thin, pale lips. He wasn't exactly handsome, but there was something about him that made her heart pound painfully. He smirked at her. "Well, look who's finally made his grand appearance!"

"You idiot! What took you so long!" Temari practically shouted, happy for an excuse to distract herself from the distracting Shikamaru. _Perhaps that was uncalled for,_ she thought. "Aww, no need to get your fan in a twist, when there's ramen, there's Naruto. It's like a rule." _Nah, _she thought as she punched him, _definitely not uncalled for._

"Well Temari, if you're done beating up Naruto, can we go?" Shikamaru said, placing a hand on her shoulder and smirked. Temari still looked furious on the outside, but all thoughts were blocked except one. _HIS HAND IS ON MY SHOULDER!_ She could feel the warmth of his hand, and she felt that warmth spreading to her face.

"Uh, Shikamaru? Is she okay? Her face is so red, she looks like Hinata. Is she sick?" Upon hearing Naruto's annoying voice, she snapped out of her trance. "YOU make me sick, Naruto." She said coldly, then stalked towards the front gate. "Let's go," she said.

As they trudged through the forest, Temari watched Shikamaru out of the corner of her eye. His expression had been neutral, though a little confused, at Naruto's comment. She sighed a small sigh of relief. At least when it came to romances, the genius didn't seem to pick up her signals.

END

A/N: YAY! So who's POV should be next? Shikamaru's or Naruto's? I'll try to update the story as soon as possible, but like I said, Exams T.T Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned for the next! :D


	3. Chapter 3

Sadly, I do not own Naruto :(

**CHAPTER 3: **Suspicious Fox

Naruto was very curious. There was something about those two that he just couldn't put his finger on. They were so polite toward each other, and sometimes awkward even, but he sensed… something. He wasn't sure exactly what, but he was sure that there was DEFINITELY something fishy going on…

"Hey, Shikamaru, can I ask you something?" Naruto asked Shikamaru, seizing the opportunity when Temari was away from camp, picking berries for their lunch. The Chuunin hardly looked up, just lay back on the log with his arms behind his head. "Sure… ask away…" he sighed.

"Is there something going on between you and Temari?" Naruto inquired, genuinely curious. Shikamaru jerked up and started to cough and splutter. Naruto did not expect such a reaction and started to pat Shikamaru on the back. "I'm sorry buddy! Are you okay?" Shikamaru simply nodded and started to get up, when a ferocious wind erupted through the trees into their clearing. Naruto grinned at Shikamaru. "Strong wind today, isn't it?" Shikamaru sighed and slapped his palm to his forehead. _He seems to do that a lot these days_, thought Naruto. "That's Temari, you idiot! She's in battle!" Shikamaru exclaimed. Naruto noticed the wind ripping apart the bark on several trees across them and smiled. "Oh, I knew that," he said, "Let's go help her!"

Temari wasn't hard to find. Naruto simply looked for the areas where most of the trees were chopped down. When he jumped down, he saw 6 rogue ninja surrounding Temari. They laughed and high fived, and when Naruto spotted Temari, he knew why. Temari lay on the ground, her right arm bent in an awkward angle. She had deep gashes down her back and a kunai sticking out of her shoulder. Naruto had never seen the headstrong Kunoichi look so beaten up. Temari tried to pull herself up, but her right arm was in no shape to support her, and she crashed to the ground, trembling. The rogue ninja started to make their way towards her, and Naruto jumped in front of her protectively. "Hey buddy!" he shouted at the rougue ninja, "You wanna get to her, you got to go through me!" The head rogue ninja threw his head back and laughed. "A puny kid… Well, this shall be entertaining at least." As he tried to take a step forward, he realised he was frozen to the spot. "What…? My body! I can't move!" Naruto grinned.

"You should have NEVER done this to her!" Naruto's grin faltered as he heard Shikamaru's voice filled with so much… emotion. Shikamaru had only shown Naruto one emotion – Exasperation. Naruto was surprised and slightly afraid of the hatred that rang clear in his voice. "All 6 rogue ninja were struggling against the shadows that held them in place. "Forget it," Shikamaru continued, his narrowed eyes filled with anger, "I hold you in place with my Shadow Paralysation jutsu. It is impossible for you to break, and I can attack you freely." He smirked slightly, eyes glinting with rage, looking malicious. "SHADOW STRANGULATION JUTSU!" He shouted, wielding the shadowed hands to break the right arm of the head rogue ninja. Shikamaru launched several kunai at the rogue ninja, impaling them at different places. His eyes had taken on an almost sadistic quality. Shikamaru launched kunai after kunai at the rogue ninja, and used his shadow strangulation jutsu to break several bones in the rogue ninja's bodies. When he could stand it no longer, Naruto jumped in the way. "Shikamaru! Stop it!" he shouted. Shikamaru eyed him, through gritted teeth, he warned, "Naruto… get. Out. Of. The. Way." Naruto refused to budge. "You've broken most of their bones and hurt them, just let them go! We've got to tend to Temari!" Shikamaru seemed to sober up when Naruto mentioned Temari. He nodded and released his jutsu, then turned away from the rogue ninja scurrying into the forest. Naruto watched as Shikamaru lifted Temari bridal-style back to the camp.

Naruto was SURE there was something going on between the two, but WHAT WAS IT?

A/N: Hello! I have finished chapter 3! Yay! I'm open to your suggestions, so please leave me a review if you want to :) Also, check out my other story, Life of A Girl! Thanks! (Stay tuned for chapter 4!)


	4. Chapter 4

Sadly, I don't own Naruto. YET. MUAHAHAHAHAHA! Okay, weirdness Overload. Warning: ITS FLUFF TIME!

Chapter 4: Rising Flames

Temari stirred. The last she remembered was being lifted up from the ground by… _SHIKAMARU!_ Her eyes burst open at the thought of the lazy ninja. She scanned her surroundings, she was back at the campsite, in her tent, it was around midninght and the object of her thoughts was seated just a few feet away from her. When he sensed her being awake, he crawled forward and rested the back of his hand on her forehead. "Hey…" he said, smiling slightly, "are you feeling better?" Temari nodded, hoping the pink blush was not obvious in the darkness. As she tried to get up, she gasped, feeling pain shoot up her right arm and her vision darken, when warm arms enveloped her. She tilted her head up and looked Shikamaru in the eye. His eyes held so much concern for her, that her heart ached. She longed for him to hold her closer. "Shikamaru…" she breathed, "I'm cold." Knowing that the genius wouldn't risk building a fire to tick the rogue ninja off of their position, he could only do one thing. And he did not hesitate to do so. He held her close to his body, her back to his chest, his hands wrapped around her torso. She smiled and leaned backward, being lulled by the warmth of his chest… "Ouch!" she squealed and jerked up, her back so painful it felt like it was on fire. He shushed her and gently brought her back into his embrace, being more careful with her back this time. After reclining in the safety of Shikamaru's arms, she had to ask. "Shikamaru, am I badly hurt?"

Shikamaru swallowed, eyeing the arm that was hastily bandaged with a tree branch and his spare jacket, the wound in her shoulder that was ragged at the edges, and worst of all, the three long gashes down her back. His futon was stained red from when he frantically tried to stop the flow of the blood. Even so, he had no medical training, and it was pointless asking Naruto. The result was three ten-inch long gashes with rough edges, oozing out sticky yellow pus. He felt helpless, he didn't know how to help her, but he so badly wanted to. "Shikamaru? You didn't answer me…" she asked, turning to face him, wetting her dry lips. He paused, considering how to answer. "Well… your shoulder's healing up, your right arm needs rest and your back… is… well…" She looked up at him, fear in her eyes. "Is it… Is it that bad?" Shikamaru swallowed, then nodded. She sighed, resigned. Shikamaru looked at her dejected form and asked, "Temari… How did they do this to you?" She looked into his eyes, and chuckled regrettably. "I got too complacent. I only saw three rogue ninja and thought, no problem. No need to call for reinforcements. And after I launched my wind cyclone at them, three popped behind me and slashed down my back. I was distracted just for a second and got a kunai in my shoulder and a broken arm." With every word of the attack, Shikamaru's fist clenched tighter until his knuckles were white. "So now I can't use my right arm? I can't use my fan?" Temari asked, her eyes shining in fear and sadness, she closed them, hopeless. Shikamaru's stomach lurched. He had to reassure her that he'll take care of her, he won't let harm come to her… "I'll protect you, Temari. Don't worry." Her eyes snapped open. "I don't need your protection!" she meant it as an outburst, but she was so weak, it was barely a whisper. Shikamaru chuckled. "Sure you don't." Shikamaru tilted her head up lightly, closed his eyes and leaned downwards…

"HI TEMARI! ARE YOU FEELING BETTER?"

Temari jumped. Why did that idiot have to ruin everything? She was so close to kissing Shikamaru! She could still feel his warm breath on her close lips, they were so close. She spied Shikamaru's languid expression, as if nothing had happened. But underneath it, she could sense frustration through the slightly clenched fists and the slightly furrowed brows. Temari sighed. How could she blame Naruto? He was just being nice. "Thanks Naruto… Slightly…" she said, trying to smile. Naruto positively beamed. "Look what I found! This is the Red Moon Berry, known for healing infection! Sakura showed me once!" He said, and squshed the berries in his palm, then rubbed the juice on her wound. As soon as the juice touched her wound, she knew something was wrong. She felt a horrible, stinging pain that made her vision black out and drew a scream from her mouth. She continued writhing, screaming and crying as the pain only grew more and more unbearable. She was barely aware of Shikamaru shouting at Naruto. "Naruto! What did you do to her?! Let me see those berries! … THOSE ARE FREAKING CHILLIS YOU IDIOT!" "How was I supposed to know? They're so much smaller!" "LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! THERES SUCH THING AS MINI CHILLIS YOU KNOW! FORGET IT, GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Temari felt herself being picked up and rushed through the forest. She was lowered into a stream, and with each lapping of current, the pain seemed to diminish. She shuddered, still weak and numb from all the pain. Shikamaru tilted her head up. "Better now?" he asked, his eyes soft with traces of anger still lingering. She nodded weakly and tried to smile. "Better now that you're here," she said, cringing at how cliché it sounded, but she really meant it. Temari closed her eyes as Shikamaru bent down, his lips about to brush hers…

"TEMARI! I'M SO, SO SORRY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Naruto shouted. He saw Shikamaru holding Temari gently in the stream and wondered for a moment if he disrupted something. Then he quickly dismissed the thought. Shikamaru just gets angry when his teammates are in danger and Temari is just kind to people who aren't annoying. He grinned inwardly. Nothing romantic at all, he thought.

Less than a hundred metres away, the rogue ninja were planning their next move. "If we're this injured, we have to resort to kidnap and ransom. However, if we take the Kunoichi, the shadow guy will probably become overbearing with rage. We can't take the shadow guy, who knows what he's capable of." All rogue ninja nodded in agreement as the head ninja said, "there isn't another way. We've got to take the puny kid."

**A/N**: UH-OH! The rogue ninja are targeting Naruto… :O Haha! Anyway, thank you to all of you who are following/reviewing/favouriting my stories! It really makes me so happy knowing that my work is being appreciated! Shout out to kaloobia: Thank you for following and reviewing my story! I really appreciate your feedback and loyalty! 3 you! :D (PS, advertising for my other story, Life of a girl. One more follower, review or favourite and I'll upload the next chapter!) Again, Thanks to everyone!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Cool! This chapter came up so fast! I know, couldn't stand keeping you in suspense! Oh, and Naruto doesn't belong to me! But Shikamaru belongs to Temari ;)

Chapter 5: Icy Waters

Shikamaru yawned and stretch, then got up and hazily got his bearings. He was in his tent, at the campsite, on the way to the Suna. He stretched again, then folded up his futon and went to check on Temari. Upon entering her tent, the sunlight streamed on Temari's face, ligting up every shape and contour of her features. Shikamaru smiled, admiring the subtle beauty of her face. He crept into the tent softly, not wanting to wake Temari up. Shikamaru rested his hand on her shoulder and smiled softly, she looked like an angel when she was asleep. Then, his eyes fell upon the wounds on her back and he gasped. Shikamaru thought that the wounds looked bad yesterday, but now they were much worse. The yellow pus that was present the day before had thickened into a sickly green substance. The veins around the wound popped up in threateningly bright reds. Shikamaru was unable to look at the severity of the gashes, when Temari stirred. "Shikamaru…" she breathed. Shikamaru looked her in the eyes and was mesmerized by the shades of teal that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.

Temari held her breath as Shikamaru leaned down towards her, fully expecting Naruto to burst into the tent. She was taken by surprise when Shikamaru's lips met hers. This was her first kiss and she regretted none of it. She eagerly kissed him back, enjoying the warmth and unusual sweetness of his lips. She felt the tip of his tongue lightly trace her bottom lip and she shuddered, letting out a gasp. Somewhere in her ecstatic mind, she realised how far they had gone without being interrupted. Reluctantly, she murmured into his lips, "Shikamaru… Naruto hasn't interrupted us yet. Is he alright?" Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sighed. He pulled back, full of reluctance and said, "I'll go check on him, be right back, wait for me, eh, angel?" He got up slowly and left the tent. Temari was glad that he had gone out as she could not suppress a squeal of excitement. _He called me ANGEL!_ Was the only thought that resided in her mind. However, when Shikamaru lifted the tent flap again, full of worry, she immediately snapped out of her eutrophic state.

Not that far away, Naruto began to stir. He was feeling very uncomfortable, and tried to reposition himself, when he realised he couldn't move. His eyes snapped open and he saw the 6 rogue ninja smiling menacingly at him. "Now, heavy sleepers never prosper!" The head guffawed at him. Naruto looked at himself, his body and mouth was tied by some sort of sparkling string. In fact, the more he looked at it, the more mesmerized he became, it was just so… beautiful. The way the light reflected on them, shining out in so many colours, it was so distracting… _No, _he thought, panicking, _Naruto, look away now!_ Reluctantly, his body obeyed and he visibly relaxed. The rogue ninja looked disappointed. "We hoped that would keep you busy for awhile. Oh well, we still need you alive." With that, they jumped and seemingly disappeared. _Damn it_, he thought, _if I were awake I would beat the hell out of them! Oh, why oh why must I be such a heavy sleeper?_

Temari watched Shikamaru's expression carefully. "Shika… what's wrong?" For a moment, a ghost of a smile appeared on Shikamaru's face when he heard what Temari called him, but then it disappeared again. "They…" he swallowed, "They took Naruto." Temari rolled her eyes. That idiot could put up one hell of a fight when he was awake but when he was asleep, he was like a baby rabbit. She shook herself awake and tied up her hair into her signature four ponytails. She put on her bravest grin and said, "Alright, let's go bring Naruto back! BELIEVE IT!"

Shikamaru, however, did not look amused. "You, Temari, are not going anywhere."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, so it's _**Temari**_ now, is it? What happened to angel?"

He sighed, _troublesome woman,_he thought. "Look, this is serious, Temari."

She sighed, copying his expression. "I AM serious, Shikamaru, we've got to get Naruto."

He raised an eyebrow. "So, it's _**Shikamaru**_ now is it?" Shikamaru grinned slightly at her blush. "You're not going anywhere with those horrible injuries."

Her eyes hardened. "I'm not completely useless you know! My injuries aren't THAT bad!"

He rolled his eyes. "Uh, have you looked at your back lately?"

She mimicked his facial expression. "Uh, I would if I could turn my head 360 degrees!"

"It's horrible, okay! You could die any minute for all I know! We've got to get you to Suna as soon as possible. We can't get distracted, you don't have the time to spare!"

"Oh come on! It's not like I can't stand!" she said, wobbling abit as she stood.

"Why must you always be so headstrong?" he questioned, eyes flashing.

"Why must you always be so lazy?" she retorted.

"Still you love me." He questioned simply.

Her eyes looked defeated for a moment, and her voice was barely a whisper. "I love_**-d**_ you." She said, emphasizing the past tense.

Shikamaru glanced up, he was unsure of how things had escalated to this point. His voice, too came out meek. "What do you mean?"

She looked him straight in the eye. "I love the Shikamaru that cared so much about his teammates, he cried in relief when he found out they were okay. I love the Shikamaru that would have willingly given up his life to rescue his teammates. I love the Shikamaru who valued the lives of everyone, not just the girl he likes!" she practically shouted.

Shikamaru slumped on the ground. "I can't Temari… I can't go trying to rescue Naruto knowing that I could lose you!" he said at an almost equal volume.

When Temari looked into his eyes, he saw no love, no pity, no sign of weakening. "Too late, Shikamaru. You already have." With that, she walked out of the tent, stoking the fire and preparing breakfast, determined not to speak to Shikamaru more than the bare minimum.

After a painful day of barely any communication, Temari waited until she could hear snoring from Shikamaru's tent before she set off. _If he's not going to rescue Naruto_, she thought, _I will._

**A/N: **OH THE DRAMA! OHH THE DRAMA! Looks like Shikamaru and Temari are doomed. And weak, injured Temari is going to go after the 6 rogue ninja as well! What would happen next?! :D I am so evil. Tsk. Anyway, that's for your review/follows/favourites! I sincerely appreciate it!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Melting Snow

Shikamaru jumped through the forest, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of Naruto. He felt a pang in his heart when he remembered Temari's words. _"I love the Shikamaru that cared so much for his teammates, he cried in relief when he found out they were okay. I love the Shikamaru that would have willingly given up his life to rescue his teammates. I love the Shikamaru who valued the lives of everyone, not just the girl he likes!" _What she said was true. He was being awfully selfish towards Naruto. Temari should be able to hold out on her own in the campsite, he reasoned, remembering the clone that he had made to make her belief that he was sound asleep and that she was safe. He gritted his teeth. After he gets Naruto back, he would apologize to Temari for being an idiot. He hoped that she would forgive him, knowing that he only acted that way because of how much he loved her. A sudden appearance of an orange jumpsuit broke him from his thoughts. "Naruto?" he called softly.

Temari was fuming. What had happened to the Shikamaru that she knew and loved? Sure, she teased him relentlessly about crying that day, but it was just an excuse to let all the feelings of confusion out. Being brought up in the strict and respectable Suna with an emo monster and a vain sadist as younger brothers, Temari had never witnessed such passion for one's teammates. Although now, Gaara and Kankurou were adapting to be more compassionate, Shikmaru's small act of crying in the waiting room was the first act of compassion that had ever struck and impressed her so much. However, just because of her, Shikamaru turned from the kind-hearted man to a selfish one. She shook her head, this would not happen. She would rescue Naruto no matter what. Just at that moment, she spotted his infamous orange jumpsuit. "Naruto?" she called softly.

Naruto was still tied up, when he heard a voice calling him. _Temari's voice_, he thought. He tried to warn her to run, the rogue ninja lay in waiting. In her condition, she shouldn't even have left the campsite! "EMARI! RAAGH!" he shouted, the best he could do with his gag. Instead, it had the opposite effect as Temari jumped down, kunai in hand, ready to cut the ropes that held him. As she bent down, Temari's eyes widened, taking in the multicoloured ropes that held Naruto in place. Her face softened, admiring the colours that the rope reflected, while Naruto thrashed around, trying to get her to snap out of it. However, that only let the colours of the rope dance more, pulling Temari further into a tranced state. Naruto was getting desperate as he saw the rogue ninja emerge from the shadows. Gathering all of his determination, he thrashed against Temari and knocked her far away from him just as the three rogune ninja jumped at her. Temari yelped and got up, fighting the tears of pain that spilled down her face as she tried to stop the blood from pouring out from her wound. Shakily, she got to her feet as she grasped her fan tight, willing herself to fight the pain.

"Back for more? Aren't you already injured enough?" Temari's head snapped up as she heard the taunting voice of the head rogue ninja. She snarled, pulling herself to her feet while her left hand whipped her fan open. She smirked at him. "If my eyes do not deceive me, you are hurt as well. So shut up and fight me like a man!" The rogue ninja threw back his head and laughed. "I remember, the last time you tried to take me on, you had to rely on that shadow idiot of yours. So where is he hiding, huh?" Temari felt a rush of emotion. He was messing with her. She willed herself not to show any emotion and concentrate on saving Naruto. Her left hand hauled up her fan as she screamed, "Wind Cyclone Jutsu!" Her fan released a huge bought of wind that was only slightly off. She knocked the rogue ninja right in the chest with her jutsu. She quickly subsituted to position herself behind him and released her wind cyclone jutsu. Giving him no time to think or recover, she batted him back and forth, until he pleaded her to stop. She hesitated for only a moment, and the two other rogue ninja threw their kunai at her. She quickly raised her fan to deflect them, but was frozen in place. The kunai's weren't the usual kind, they were crystal-clear and faceted so that they mesmerized her by the beautiful colours of the night that they reflected... and stabbed her twice in her chest.

Shikamaru gasped as the Naruto turned into a puff of smoke. _A subsitution Jutsu!_He thought angrily as he braced himself for attack. When he saw only three rogue ninja, he laughed. "Gentlemen, may I remind you that I manipulate shadows? The dark night is practically one huge shadow by itself. Are you sure you want to fight me?" The rogue ninja in the middle snarled. "You talk too much." The three rogue ninja took out three glowing marbles each and threw them on the ground. Instantly, Shikamaru was blinded by the light. He stepped backwards and quickly regained control of himself. He could find a way, he's a Chuunin for Kami's sake! As he paused for a moment to think, a horrible scream burst through the relatively silent night. His eyes snapped open. "TEMARI!"

Temari started to cough and hack on her own blood. Wiping her mouth, she scrambled to her feet and yanked the Kunai out of her chest. Dabbing a finger in blood, she drew a long line of blood on her fan. "SUMMONING JUTSU! BLADE DANCE!" she shouted as a weasel weilding a knife appeared out of a puff of smoke and started to chop down everything in its sight, except for Naruto. Soon, all three rogue ninaja dropped to the ground, sporting grosteque wounds. She started to giggle. She couldn't help it, she felt so light headed. With much difficulty, she cut Naruto free and fell to the ground, holding her stomach and laughing. Vaguely, she recognised that she was going mad, but she just fell into the vortex of darkness and closed her eyes.

Shikamaru's eyes widened in confusion and anger. What was Temari doing out in the forest? More importantly, what were these dreaded bastards doing to her. Something in his cool, collected mind snapped as he let loose a torrent of black chakra that morphed and flexed according to his will, free of the need for shadows. His voiced came out hoarse as he growled, "What are you doing to her?" The three rogue ninja cowered away from the shadow user, unable to give him a reply. Shikamaru snarled as he walked away from them. The rogue ninja visibly relaxed and aimed a kunai at the back of his head, but his chakra easily deflected it. The rogue ninja heard the smirk in his voice as he said, "I'm not done with you yet." They barely had time to look up before the strands of chakra twisted their necks at weird angles, severing their life force immediately. "SHIKAMARU! HELP!" Not sparing a look at the rogue ninja, he raced towards Naruto's voice, only to stop short when he saw Temari's lifeless body with its three slashes down the back and two puncture marks on the chest. His eyes widened as he took tentative steps towards her. This was all his fault. That was the first time Naruto had ever seen Shikamaru cry in anguish.

**A/N: **Sorry for the horrendously late update! Exams! Anyway, Stay tuned!


	7. Chapter 7

The first tear fell from his eye. He should have been the one to protect her, he should have been there. The tear made its way towards his cheekbone. He should have seen through the attack, he could take the idiots, Temari was already weakened. As the tear dripped of his chin, another started its journey from his other eye. He should be the one lying in bed now, fast asleep, no way of knowing if he was ever going to wake, not Temari.

Tenari had been rushed to the Hospital of Suna. The medic ninja had worked on her for a full hour before Shikamaru was allowed to even see her. As he was making his way towards the door, the head medic stopped him, saying that Temari's exterior wounds had healed, but the infection from her back was starting to spread throughout her bloodstream. Her life was riding on her will to live.

Shikamaru smiled slightly as he imagined her sharp voice calling out to him.

"What'cha crying for, crybaby? Do you really think I won't go down with a fight?"

He held back the stinging in his eyes. Temari will be alright, she's a fighter, and he should be one too. He almost believed himself, but after a glance at her, all the faith was gone.

Her face was very pale, her skin clammy and cold to the touch. It was almost as if she wouldn't make it... He shook his head forcefully. Thinking like that would only diminish what tiny sense if hope he had left.

Naruto lingered awkwardly at the side, unsure if what to do. It was his fault, he shouldn't have let the enemy ninja capture him. Shikamaru shouldn't blame himself.

"Shikamaru? I'm sorry." Naruto said softly, hanging his head.

"For what, Naruto?" Shikamaru replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I shouldn't have been captured. Then everything would have been okay."

Shikamaru turned a sad and exasperated expression on Naruto.

"This isn't the time to blame yourself Naruto," he said hypocritically,"let's just hope that she wakes up."

"Alright." Naruto said softly, then settled down in a chair to wait, feeling defeated.

* * *

They kept their vigil for three days, sitting by Temari's bedside, waiting for something, ANYTHING, to happen.

After that long wait, their patience paid off.

"Sh-Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru's head shot up from the chair that he was sitting on, and he all but scrambled up to Temari's bedside.

"Temari! You're okay! You're... You're okay!" Shikamaru started to break down in sobs of relief. She smirked and reached out a hand to him, which he clasped in both of his, still unable to stop himself from crying.

Naruto tapped his index fingers together awkwardly, feeling very much like Hinata.

"Urm... Temari, I'm glad you're okay." He said, eyeing Shikamaru's sobbing form.

Temari rolled her eyes at Shikamaru, then smiled at Naruto. "Thanks Naruto. I'm glad too."

* * *

Temari, although awake, had to undergo examination for another three days before she had completely healed from all her injuries. She was walking Shikamaru and Naruto to the gates of Suna, her fingers interlaced with Shikamaru's.

"I KNEW there was something going on between the two of you!" He exclaimed when they first held hands. Temari laughed while Shikamaru smacked his forehead with his palm, sighing with exasperation. Soon they reached Suna's gates, and they turned to say goodbye.

"See ya Naruto, Cryababy." Temari said, smirking at them.

"Alright Troublesome Woman. Try not to die while we're away." Shikamaru said, returning her smirk.

"Why? Because you're afraid you'll cry your eyes out?" Temari laughed at the blushing Shikamaru. She turned to Naruto.

"Sorry for calling you annoying, Naruto. I guess you're not that bad after all." She said, smiling and sticking out her hand for a handshake.

"It's okay, Temari." Naruto said, completely ignoring Temari's hand and going straight for a hug.

The hug lasted a little longer than comfortable.

"Umm... Naruto?" Temari said, struggling slightly out of Naruto's embrace. Naruto was still clueless, and did not loosen his grip on Temari. After a few more uncomfortable seconds, shadows wrapped around Naruto's waist and pulled him off Temari.

"What was that fo-" Naruto's voice trailed off as he noticed Shikamaru's glare. "Uh... Heh heh... Sorry Shikamaru." Naruto said awkwardly. Shikamaru sighed and motioned for Naruto to follow him, then waved goodbye to Temari.

Temari watched them go, smiling slightly, then ran up to Shikamaru and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Bye Crybaby, see you soon." She whispered into his ear, then with a final wave goodbye, ran back into Suna.

Shikamaru smiled, walking in silence for a while with Naruto.

"So..." Naruto started. "What do you think happened to those rogue ninja?"

* * *

The head rogue ninja stirred. He didn't know how long he was out. He looked over his body, and almost fainted at the sight of the hideous wounds that he sported. A quick check confirmed that all his henchmen were no longer with him. He sighed, he should get back to the hideout and heal up, then gather new henchmen. Yes, that was a good plan.

"And where do you think you're going?"

The raspy, gravelly voice stops him in his tracks. "G-G-Gaara?" He calls out, voice shaking in fear.

"Are you the one who injured Temari?"

The head rogue ninja shuddered. "N-no, sir, it wasn't me." He said, fighting to keep control of his voice.

"Oh really? It is said that in this very spot, Temari was attacked. And you're here. care to explain?"

"I-I'm sorry Gaara! I'll never do it again!"

"I know you won't."

He sighed in relief.

"Sand Burial Jutsu!"

His eyes darted down fast enough to see sand encasing his body.

_Uh. Oh. _

_"DIE!"_

**A/N: **That's it, that's the end of my first fanfic :) Hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a review! :D_  
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